It's Dangerous To Go Alone
by BlackBatLicorice
Summary: Believing Link would never survive his journey through Hyrule alone, Saria leaves Kokiri Forest with him on his journey to stop Ganondorf from getting the Triforce. They soon realise this will be no easy feat, and that fighting the forces of evil is not their only battle. When Link wakes from his 7 year slumber, will he find the Saria he remembers? And can they really save Hyrule?
1. A Bad Feeling

_A/N: Before this starts, I just want to explain that although this does novelize Ocarina of Time, I am going to do my best to give the story and the game justice while making it my own. This is not going to be a glorified walkthrough or something like that. Also, there are, obviously, major changes to the original story. Saria has always been my favourite character in the game, so I hope that you will like my interpretation of her as the story goes on._

 _P.S. I do not own the Legend of Zelda franchise._

 **Chapter One: A Bad Feeling**

"Link?" He was fast asleep, but tossing and turning. His young face was drenched in sweat, his blonde hair plastered by it to his forehead, and he was shivering under his inadequately thin blanket. Saria had been trying to wake him for a few minutes now, but the way he thrashed about it was as if he was more than dreaming- he was in another world in his sleep. Sighing, the small green-haired girl got up and exited his treehouse, climbing down the ladder and heading across the small village to her own house. Here, she took a dish and scooped up some of the soup she had left simmering on a low fire. Link was nearly always hungry. By the time she headed back there, he was finally awake, stood on the edge outside his home, looking out of sorts and tired despite his slumber.

"Saria?" He called her name when he saw her approach. His house was set a little apart from the others, and a few tall trees masked the one he occupied unless you directly faced it. She waved and he climbed down the ladder, approaching her where she waited.

"Hi, Link," She greeted him softly, "I brought you some soup."

"Thanks," He replied. They walked a short while through the village to the small stream that provided them with fresh water. Saria perched on a smooth fallen branch while Link splashed his face with the cool stream water. When he was done with his ministrations, he came and sat beside her, accepting the broth. It was still warm and tasted earthy, flavoured with deku nuts as well as some of the herbs that could be found around the woods.

"You were having nightmares again," Saria broached the subject eventually; Link wasn't much of a talker, after all, and she knew he'd never tell her about it unless she asked, "What was it this time?"

"Same thing as always," Link replied quietly, his blue eyes gazing out at the stream in a way that made it seem he wasn't really seeing it, "Rain. This bridge going down… and the man... always the same man, with dark skin and red hair." Everybody had nightmares from time to time, but there was something different about the dreams that Link had been having lately. Saria could tell. Link wasn't usually afraid of anything, but these dreams frightened him to the bone. It gave her a bad feeling in her stomach- a feeling which hadn't gone away this morning when the Great Deku Tree had summoned Link to see him, though she hadn't told him that yet.

"Link," She began, "I need to ask you something."

"What?" He asked, finishing off the last mouthful of soup and wiping his mouth.

"That no matter what happens…. No matter what happens, we'll still be friends." Link looked at her strangely then, questioning silently what brought her to say this. "Just promise me?"

"I promise," He answered, looking confused. Saria smiled, but it was a weak smile.

"Between us, I… I have a bad feeling too." As in most of the time, Link didn't say anything, he just raised a questioning eyebrow at her, asking her to elaborate, "I feel… I feel like something is about to happen. Like everything is about to change." It was there in the whisper of the leaves as breezes passed from branch to branch, tree to tree, like murmuring voices rather than the result of normal weather patterns. The forest was trying to tell her something. If only Saria knew what it was.

"Nothing's going to change, Saria," Link told her, "Nothing that really matters."

"The Great Deku Tree wants to see you, Link," She informed him finally, "He asked me to send you to him as soon as I could."

"What is it about?" He asked her, but Saria shrugged. She didn't know. "Do you think I might finally get a fairy?" This, she knew, was Link's deepest desire. A fairy was the symbol which would mean he was truly a Kokiri- and he'd be accepted by the other children in the forest. While most of the time they were nice to him, he'd always been an outsider, the only one without a fairy, and Mido did nothing to help matters by teasing him and rubbing salt in the wound.

"Maybe," Saria replied, forcing herself to smile. She knew that Link wasn't a true Kokiri- it was something else the forest had told her, a long time ago. Link was a Hylian, from the land beyond the trees which the Kokiri would never see. The Great Deku Tree had sworn her to secrecy, saying that they would tell him when he was ready and the time was right. So, she allowed him to have hope, against her better judgement. The Great Deku Tree knew better than she did when somebody was ready to hear the truth.

Unfortunately, Mido stopped Link from going to see the Great Deku Tree.  
"Don't be so ridiculous, Mido. He was summoned!" Saria argued. Mido folded his arms obstinately.

"No way. He needs to be wearing a sword and shield before he can go," The self-proclaimed 'boss' of the Kokiri insisted.

"I have a Deku shield somewhere at home," Link huffed. He was clearly annoyed at yet again being pushed around by Mido.

"But not a sword," Saria pointed out, "There's only one sword in the whole forest, and that's the Kokiri Sword. We aren't supposed to use it unless there's an intruder."

"Well, that's quite a dilemma, isn't it?" Mido said smugly. Link tried to walk around Mido, circling around one of the trees which hugged the path to the Great Deku Tree's meadow, but Mido successfully blocked his way yet again. "I'm not letting you go through here unequipped. A wimp like you could easily be killed!"

"What's going to kill him in the meadow?" Saria heard her own voice snap.

"I don't make the rules," Mido said defensively, "The Deku Tree himself told me to stop anybody going through here without a sword and shield. Obviously he chose right to trust me to enforce the rules and not you two!"

"But I've been summoned!" Link protested.

"I doubt it. What would the Great Deku Tree want with _you_?" Link narrowed his eyes and took a step closer to Mido after that comment but Saria, tired of the warring boys, grabbed her friend's arm and led him out of earshot of Mido.

"You're going to have to get the Kokiri Sword. He won't be able to stop you if you do everything he says," She pointed out to Link.

"I don't want to do what he says," Link complained.

"It's quicker and easier than fighting him," Saria pointed out. Link sighed.

"Fine. But I don't know where the sword even is." She could tell he was surprised when a smile spread across her face.

"Luckily, I do."

* * *

Link shuffled through the narrow hole in the rock behind the Forest Training Centre. According to Saria, the Kokiri Sword was somewhere behind here. When he finally emerged, he stood up to find himself in a sort of stone maze. The walls of the maze were around twice his height, but beyond that he could see that the trees of the forest continued. On his right hand he could already see that it was a dead end, with nothing but a few weeds growing there, but ahead there was a pathway. As soon as he took a step out, a yelp escaped him as an enormous boulder rolled by, threatening to crush him. Breathing, he told himself to be careful before he set off through the maze.

He had to avoid the boulder one more time but the maze wasn't anywhere as near as big or as daunting as it had looked from the outset. He supposed that this was a disused part of the Training Centre, as Nayru knew he'd spent enough hours in this place, learning how to backflip, roll and block punches, not to mention swordfighting with deku sticks. Right at the back of the maze there was a small alcove. A few more weeds and plants grew wild here, but nestled in the middle of these was a large brown chest. Link flipped the clasps up on it before throwing back the heavy lid. The lining of the box was green silky material, and sitting in the very centre of it was a small sword, made to fit the hand of a child.

Link picked it up, examining it. Everybody had heard of the Kokiri Sword, but as they were forbidden to use it unless under very serious circumstances, nobody had ever actually seen it or wielded it. The hilt was set with a small, glinting red stone, almost like a red rupee, though the red was much deeper and richer. Grinning, Link indulged himself in a few swipes with the sword, cutting through some of the weeds and vines growing in the alcove. Satisfied at it's sharpness and pleased to find he could wield a real sword just as well as a deku stick, he set off back for the Forest Training Center. Saria was still waiting for him when he got back, talking to her fairy, Juno.

"Oh, good, you found it!" She smiled, and he saw excitement in her eyes as she was clearly bursting to tell him something, "And somebody else found me..." Link's eyes widened as, from behind Saria, a second fairy flew up. Her white light almost hurt the eyes if you stared too long, but the voice was sharp and clear as she called out:

"Hey! Link! I'm Navi the fairy. The Great Deku Tree has sent me to be your companion!"

* * *

"I can't believe this!" Needless to say, Mido was furious. Not only had Link had the gall to return with both a sword and a shield, but he also now had a fairy- robbing him of something which had given him years of fun teasing Link about. Mido began to pace backwards and forwards angrily. "First you get to be the favourite of Saria and now the Great Deku Tree too? Good grief!" Link decided to just let him rant to himself rather than try to respond or justify himself. Mido considered himself to be something like a leader for the Kokiri but he was little more than a childish bully, a kid who threw tantrums when he didn't get his own way.

"Fine," Mido finally snapped, "Even with a sword and shield a wimp is still a wimp, huh?" He stormed away into the trees, kicking every twig and rock as he went to create as much noise as possible. Link watched him go.

"What was that all about?" Navi chirped, making Link jump. He had forgotten she was there, given how long he'd been without her.

"Nothing," Link mumbled, "Let's go." He wound his way down the familiar path to the Great Deku Tree's meadow; it was only a short distance from the rest of the Kokiri village. On his way, the usual Deku Baba's reared their bulbous blue heads, snapping at him. He ignored the first few, as they were too slow to really catch him, but then he remembered something and pulled out the sword. He swung it at a Baba, slicing through it's stalk cleanly. Grinning in a satisfied way, Link snapped off the head, pulling it open to reveal the nuts inside of it. Pocketing a few Deku Nuts, he also snapped off the stalk from the base. He tucked the Deku Stick into his belt; you could never have too many of them.

The Great Deku Tree's enormous branches obscured most of the sunlight that flooded into his meadow, but the sun was bright enough to make out through the ancient branches and bark the face of the tree; the face of a very old, very wise man seemingly carved into the trunk.  
Navi flew out to him immediately, zooming up so she was hovering at eye level to the tree.  
"Great Deku Tree! I'm back!"

"Navi..." The tree's voice boomed. Link had always wondered whether the tree could actually speak, or whether he was hearing his voice inside his own head, seeing as the mouth of the tree never moved. "And Link. The boy without a fairy…"

"Great Deku Tree," Link bowed, "I was told you summoned me."

"Indeed…"

* * *

Link wasn't back, and that worried Saria. What was so important that the Great Deku Tree would keep him all day? She tried to wait patiently but eventually night began to fall in the Kokiri Forest and she gave up any pretence of this. She simply had to know what was going on.

During the daylight hours the forest was never cold. Regardless of whether the bits of sky between the trees was bright blue or grey, or whether sunlight filtered down through the leaves or whether raindrops did, the forest was always balmy and pleasantly warm, with the lightest of breezes. But at night, it often grew chilly. Saria had a cloak of some sort of animal hide dyed her customary green, which she fastened around her neck before heading out of the house.

Outside, another forest girl, Fado, was waiting.

"Did you hear the rumour? The Great Deku Tree is dying." Saria looked at Fado; she was a strange girl and always had been. She laughed at morbid things and fixated on anything even a little macabre. She would often follow travellers into the Lost Woods just to see what would happen to them as they got lost forever, their souls dying without the protection of a fairy. Saria had never really considered Fado a friend.

"Don't say things like that," Saria told her harshly.

"One of the Skull Kid's heard it. They heard him tell Link he's been cursed."

Suddenly Saria was running. Fado called after her but Saria ignored her, flying through the darkening village and through the tree's, ignoring the snatches of Baba's as she ran flat out ti the Great Deku Tree's meadow. There, out of breath and anxious, she looked up at the great tree.

"Ah, Saria," He said, recognising her, "And Juno the fairy. Thou hath heard the news."

* * *

 **A/N: So here we have it, chapter 1! I would love any feedback so please leave me a review!**


	2. A Decision Made

**Chapter Two: A Decision Made**

"So… that's it. Everything Link is doing now is just a waste of time?" Saria's blue eyes were swimming with tears as she gazed up sadly at the Great Deku Tree. He had explained everything; the Evil King had come to demand the Spiritual Stone of the Forest, he had refused and the man had placed a curse upon the Great Deku Tree. Link had ventured inside to break the curse, but it was already too late.

"Link must test his courage to prove he is truly worthy of holding the Spiritual Stone of the Forest," The tree told her. Saria bowed her head; she was nobody to question the Great Deku Tree, after all.

"He's going to be devastated when he comes out to find..." But she paused, another fear suddenly gripping her, "What if he doesn't make it out?" She suddenly gasped, looking back up at the wise old tree.

"Thy need not doubt Link's abilities so much, Saria. He will succeed." The tree sounded so confident, but Saria was still worried. Link was handy with a sword, but there were unknown dangers within the tree. She couldn't stand the thought of him coming to harm. A single tear finally escaped, running down her cheek, but she wiped it quickly away. Now was not the time to cry; now was the time for her to be brave, like Link. It was as if the Great Deku Tree could hear her thoughts.  
"While my end is almost nigh. Saria, I must ask ye one thing. Thy must help Link, be his friend, throughout the journey he is going to face."

"Of course," She sniffed, "He's my best friend."

Link didn't come back for a long time after that. Saria could only imagine what he must be facing within the great tree, but she did not try to follow him, though her instincts told her to. If Link had to demonstrate his courage, it had to be his courage alone. But now she knew the truth, she knew that both of their instincts had been right all along. Now everything was going to change- things already had changed. Link would have to leave the forest after this, The Great Deku Tree had told her so. He must travel across Hyrule and visit Princess Zelda.

No Kokiri ever left the forest though, so Saria couldn't go with him. It was rumoured that if they tried to leave the forest they would die. It was the Great Deku Tree and the magic of the forest that kept the Kokiri as children forever, and their fairies protected them, guiding them. The only danger to the Kokiri was wandering off the path of the Lost Woods against their fairy's wishes, in which case the magic of the forest broke and they became Skull Kids. Adults who wandered in the Lost Woods became Stalfos.

But, Saria had always known that Link was not a Kokiri. Link may not realise that fully yet, but she knew that. She also knew that Link was single-minded and determined, traits which were good in the sense of helping others and accomplishing things, but bad in the sense that he always put other things before himself. He'd probably have starved to death by now if Saria didn't feed him, and he'd sleep most of his days away if she didn't wake him. How could he ever survive the outside world all alone? Even if he won every battle he had to fight, he wouldn't be able to take care of himself on a day to day basis. And then what? According to the Great Deku Tree, the fate of Hyrule rested upon Link's small shoulders. What if he couldn't carry that weight?

As dusk settled around her, Saria had enough of sitting at home and worrying. Taking up her ocarina, she headed outside, through the village and to one of the cliffs that it lay between, a valley in the sea of trees.  
Nimbly climbing up the vines as she had done so many times before, Saria headed into the much thicker, darker trees of the Lost Woods.  
She had traversed the Woods so many times that Juno didn't need to tell her which path to take anymore. Her feet remembered, even if she hadn't recognised the landmarks that may not be obvious to anyone else; the ancient tree with the dark bark marked a right hand turn, and then it was fifty steps before a dip in the ground required her to weave through the silver birches. At the end of that, she emerged into a clearing with three pathways. One, straight ahead, led to a strange stone archway. In the past, she had considered walking through it to explore but Juno had told her that it led out of the forest, which was out of the question for a Kokiri. So she had continued on until she came to a small but deep pool of clear, clean water. This evening, she paused here to take a drink before continuing, listening to the sleepy chirping of the birds which were settling in their nests for the night. This time of day brought a quiet which no other time did; even at night, the forest was full of the sound of owls hooting and the distant howling of wolves.

Saria could see her reflection in the pool of water, which the early moon was shining into. A strand of green hair fell into her eyes and she pushed it back. Some of the other forest girls envied her emerald hair, as it made her look even more Kokirish than the others. The howl of the wolf brought her back to her aims; it sounded like it wasn't too far away. Although she had her slingshot with her and a few Deku Nuts, Saria knew it was unwise to linger. Although it was rare for wolfos to come so close to Kokiri village, it wasn't unheard of and they were ferocious.

She continued on through the darkest part of the woods now, with Juno's light helping her to see despite nightfall. A huge labyrinth marked the final leg of her journey. Mad Scrubs occupied the corridors of it, firing off Deku Nuts as you approached. But for some reason, whenever Saria came alone, the Scrubs stayed below ground. They never wanted to hurt her- she liked to believe it was because she was kind to all creatures of the forest. She knew these passages well too, at any rate, and it wasn't long before she came to the long, narrow staircase which led to the Sacred Forest Meadow.

This was a constructed clearing. The tree's had long ago been tamed, cut back to allow the building of the grand structure behind it that was the Forest Temple. Saria believed she was the only one who knew where the Temple even was because so few Kokiri were willing to risk becoming Skull Kids to travel so far into the Lost Woods- however, the stairs leading to it had crumbled away a long time ago, so it was inaccessible. A single, dead tree stump sat at the foot of where they once would have been, and this was where Saria sat and began to play her Ocarina. It was a cheerful, springy song that reminded all who heard it of the forest, and it always made her feel better, taking her mind off her troubles. But tonight, after a while, she realised it just wasn't working and she gave up. All she could think about was Link setting off alone into the unknown and probably dangerous. He didn't know the first thing about Hyrule, except that Hylians grew up and Kokiri didn't, and that there were towns and villages where Hylians lived. Of course, Saria also knew nothing about it beyond that- but she couldn't help but think it wasn't so bad if you weren't on your own…

"Kokiri die if they leave the forest," She murmured aloud to herself. This was what everybody said. But when she tried to remember the Great Deku Tree ever teaching them this, she came up blank. She could remember Fado saying this with glee, and Mido yelling at one of the other Kokiri boys that he would die when he tried to sneak out of the forest. She could remember the Twins saying it fearfully in hushed voices at a sleepover as they all told scary stories of the outside world. But all she could recall was that the Great Deku Tree had told them that there were dangers that the Kokiri could never understand outside of the forest, and that it was not safe for them to leave- that outside the forest, he could not protect them. But as he was dying…

"It's no different," Saria realised, "Really."

Her mind was suddenly made up.

Saria crashed back through the Lost Woods, for once not being careful to not draw attention to herself. If a wolfos heard her, she would be gone by the time he tracked her down. Before she knew it, she was back in the village. It was really dark now and the children had gone home. At night, the forest did tend to grow a little chilly and on top of the unusual chill of earlier on, Saria was glad for the cloak around her shoulders as well as the fact she had run. Hurrying home, she set a bag down on her bed and began packing. She loaded it with a pouch full of Deku Seeds for her slingshot, which was tucked into her belt, as well as a few Deku Nuts, some berries and edible plants, a canteen of water, ignoring Juno's panicked demands to tell her what was going on all the while. After throwing in a couple more necessities, Saria knew she was ready, except…

She had hardly used her Deku Shield for ages. As the Scrubs left her alone she had little use for it, and she wasn't one for sparring matches. But now she placed it and her bag on the ground beside her bed before climbing into it. She wasn't sure when Link would be back, so she sent Juno to keep an eye out for when he would emerge from the clearing the Great Deku Tree stood in. Now, Saria needed to sleep, and she surprised herself by falling asleep almost immediately.

When she woke, it was because Juno was yelling at her.  
"Saria! Saria, Link is back! He's leaving the forest!" She ignored the jab of fear that coupled her relief that Link was okay as she jumped out of bed. She couldn't think about this anymore; she was going to have to just do it. She was going to leave the forest.

"Thank you," She said to Juno, strapping the shield to her back and wearing the bag across her body. She was afraid, but her determination to act overpowered her fear. She headed towards the path which she knew led out of the forest.

"Saria?" Juno piped up as they went, "Saria, where are you going? Are you leaving the forest? Saria!"

"Yes," Saria answered her fairy but kept putting one foot in front of the other. She could just see Link up ahead before he disappeared in through the enormous hollowed-out tree trunk that led out of the Kokiri village and into the unknown.

"You can't leave the forest!" Juno protested, aghast, "You'll die!"

"I don't believe that," Saria said firmly.

"That's what everybody says!" Juno protested.

"And maybe everyone is wrong."

Saria decided not to look back as she stepped through the tunnel. If she did, she might lose all her nerve. Link hadn't thought to stop and gather supplies before he left- no food, no water, nothing he might need to survive. Of course she couldn't just leave him when he had so little foresight- and besides, he was her best friend; she would miss him too much, would worry he wouldn't survive.

"Link!" She emerged through the tunnel and was surprised to see him standing just a few feet away. He turned, just as shocked to see her. They were standing on a footbridge held up by ropes attached either side to sturdy trees. Below, there was a drop into a clearing. Saria, thinking hard, thought she knew where they were; somehow, the Lost Woods must loop around here, because she had stood below the bridge before, looking at it's rough underside and wondering where it led.

"I have to leave," Link told her, looking down at his boots.

"I know," Saria replied, "The Great Deku Tree told me everything while you were… while you were in there."

"Did he tell you about Princess Zelda?" Link questioned.

"Yes. I know you have to speak to her."

"He said to go to Hyrule Castle. I don't know where it is," Link admitted hopelessly, and she saw a little of his doubts emerging, "I don't know how I'm going to get there. And what if I don't… make it?" Saria approached him, touching his arm softly.

"Why would you think that?" She wanted to know. Of course, she had the same fears, but she knew deep down that Link could do whatever he put his mind to.

"When I was inside the Great Deku Tree, I saw monsters. I fought… I fought Queen Gohma. I thought I was going to die, Saria," He admitted, "I thought she would eat me whole but… but she didn't. But if that was just the start of this journey..."

"Link," Saria said firmly, "You can do it. As you go on, you'll get stronger."

"The Great Deku Tree said I have to show great courage… but I'm scared."

"Being brave doesn't mean you're fearless. And besides… maybe you'll feel better if you know you're not doing it alone," Saria had been nervous about this part, knowing exactly how he'd react to her plans; he'd tell her to stay, that even if he believed she might be correct in thinking Kokiri didn't die when they left the forest, that it wasn't worth the risk. She knew he'd argue, maybe even beg her to stay behind for her own good- but she couldn't. Not if she wanted her conscience to remain in tact, knowing both that Link was alive and that they had the best possible chance of saving Hyrule and the Triforce.

"I'm coming with you," Saria told him finally.

* * *

 **A/N: To my lovely guest reviewer, thank you for the feedback! To everyone, I'd always like more so please, if you have time, drop me a review!**


	3. Hyrule Field

**Chapter Three: Hyrule Field**

Link tried to argue, tried to convince Saria that the risk of her dying when she left the forest was not one either of them should be willing to take, that even if the Great Deku Tree was dead and couldn't protect the Kokiri inside or out anymore that the rest of Hyrule was unknown and potentially dangerous. But he failed to make any real argument at all, and deep down, he doubted whether he could have restarted his journey after pausing to speak to her, if she had not set out ahead of him, walking determinedly across the bridge and almost out of sight. But when she did, Link started to run, catching her up easily. The idea of a long journey, one where he didn't even know where he was going, seemed a lot less daunting with his best friend by his side.

Past the bridge, Saria and Link had nothing to go on but instinct as to which direction they should walk. Tall, dark trees ringed the outer edges of the forest for a while, casting shadows where the sun filtered through their dark leaves. But then, gradually, the trees began thinning out and a path emerged beneath their feet, reassuring them that they were on the right track. And then, before they knew it, they had emerged fully from the trees to come face to face with the rest of Hyrule for the first time.

Saria gazed out at the wide expanse of green before them. With no canopy of leaves above to shield them, everything seemed very bright. The sun felt like a different kind of warm too as it touched her skin. The sky above was a dazzling blue and the grass, devoid of the bushes, grasses, flowers and shrubs of the forest, was almost blindingly green, and short. She and Link had to take a moment to look out at it all. It stretched on further than their eyes could possibly see, and would be completely overwhelming had there not been pathways that showed where people had walked beginning just a few metres away.

"It's so… big," Link muttered, whether to Saria or himself she wasn't sure.

"Do you remember the lessons the Great Deku Tree gave us about Hyrule geography?" Saria asked him.

"I remember something about a lake and… a mountain, I think," He replied, his brow furrowing, "But this is, well, it's just like a giant field." Saria raised a small hand to shield her eyes from the glare of the sun, scanning the horizon. In the distance, she could see something- a dark shape in the sky, as it appeared from here, ringed in smoke.

"That has to be the mountain," Saria pointed. Link squinted over at it.

"Yes!" He said, sounding excited for the first time now, "I remember the Great Deku Tree saying it was ringed in smoke!"

"Aren't there towns, too? Villages?" Saria asked, trying to remember what they had been taught- it was limited, and they had never seen a map, but many stories the Kokiri children told each other were based on things the Great Deku Tree had taught them about the world beyond the forest and what they imagined it to be. Saria had always been curious about the idea of a town- bustling with people and activity, built up in stone and brick, the complete opposite of the peaceful forest which was all that she knew.

"Castle Town," Link said thoughtfully, "We need to get to Castle Town."

"Which direction?" And suddenly, once again, the full weight of the journey they were faced with hit them. After a while of dawdling near the fringe of trees, debating on what to do and which sprawling path in the grass they should follow, Link made an executive decision:

"The only thing we can see from here other than the forest is the mountain. We should head towards it. It's a landmark and we might find something along the way." Saria, at this point just relieved that they had a plan, happily agreed and they set off. By this time, the afternoon was wearing on. Every now and then one of them would glance up at the sky to check the position of the sun; incrementally, it began to get lower in the sky until suddenly, out of nowhere, Hyrule Field was bathed in an orangey-pink glow; it was almost night.

"We're going to have to stop," Saria announced finally. Although the field had looked flat from the entrance of the forest, it actually rose and fell gently in places, and traversing it had been exhausting on her small legs. Link looked around at her, coming to a stop. She could tell that he really wanted to keep going, but that he was also exhausted physically. Saria wondered how he was even still standing; he'd been in the Great Deku Tree overnight, fighting Queen Gohma.

"Where can we sleep?" They looked blankly around at the grassy land surrounding them. The sun was setting fast.

"High ground," Saria said thoughtfully, "It's like in the Lost Woods when you know there are wolfos; the more you can see, the better." They had no idea what might be lurking in the field at night. It seemed like an empty, harmless place when the sun was bright but Saria was already being filled with a sense of foreboding as the colour rapidly faded from the world around them. The fearful realisation that they knew nothing about Hyrule was never far away, but it seemed even worse in the dark. The pair of them settled on a spot at the crest of a low hill. It was not really enough to see much around them, but applying logic to their choice of resting place helped make both of them feel better.

A bright moon, which seemed larger out here than it did in the forest, provided some light for them to see. Hyrule Field was nowhere near as dark as the Lost Woods by night, and Navi and Juno helped cast some light around too. Saria gave Link a small serving of some of the food she had brought for them before eating some herself. Both of them were struggling to keep their eyes open as they spread Saria's cloak over themselves to sleep under. Luckily, the cloak was massive on her anyway, providing enough cover for the two children- though she doubted it'd be much help on a very cold night.

"One of us should keep watch," Link mumbled sleepily.

"I know," Saria replied, but she was asleep before the words really left her mouth- and so was Link.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep when she was awoken by something clattering nearby- not a familiar sound. She opened her eyes and for a second her vision was filled with stars as she looked at the sky. But then something swiped the air beside her right ear and she rolled over quickly, barely avoiding being gauged by a skeletal, white hand with claws.

"Link!" She screamed, jumping to her feet. There were two of them, whatever they were, no bigger than she was. They were like animated skeletons but worse, walking noisily towards her- unable to run, but making sure progress. Link didn't stir at the noise- he'd always been a nightmare to wake. Both Juno and Navi were screaming at him as Saria drew her slingshot, digging in her pocket for a handful of hard, round seeds. She shot one clumsily and it glanced off the shoulder of one of them. She was surprised it was fragile enough to be hurt by it- in fact, it's bony arm came off, but this didn't stop it moving towards her. She shot a second seed at it and it was knocked back a few steps. Meanwhile, the other one was getting closer to Link, who was finally stirring at the commotion.

"Aagh!" He yelled as he too was forced to roll to avoid being scratched by the creature, but he completed the roll and was on his feet, drawing the Kokiri sword. With two stabbing motions, the bones of the creature crumbled into nothing; at the same time, Saria finished off her one, with the same effect. Then the field seemed strangely silent, all the chaos done with.

"What were they?" Link gasped.

"Stalchildren," Navi piped up.

"What? Like… Stalfos?" Saria frowned at the white fairy. Her own, Juno, was the one to reply:

"Children who wander from the path in Hyrule Field become Stalfos," Juno informed her.

"Don't be afraid of them, though- they're not strong, or fast!" Navi added. Saria and Link looked at each other; it was difficult not to be frightened when something unknown startled you like that.

"Are there more of them?" Link wanted to know.

"It's hard to be sure, but maybe we should set up camp on the path," Juno chirped. Saria scowled at the fairy with her pale pink light.

"That might have been useful to know before we stopped to rest," She informed the fairy, as she and Link gathered their things and headed downhill slightly, to where they could see the grass had been flattened out by travel. She and Link settled back down under her cloak soon after, though Saria felt too nervous to sleep at this point. The field was eerily quiet. At night, the forest was just as noisy as in the day, just with different sounds. Hyrule Field's silence by night seemed imposing, making the place feel even lonelier than usual. Eventually, they fell into a light doze, though neither child slept properly again after the visit from the Stalchildren. Eventually, the stars began to vanish and the dawn greeted them with a cold grey light which slowly began to turn to yellow as the sun rose in the sky. Stiff from sleeping on the ground, Link and Saria ate a few mouthfuls of food and ensured they had everything with them before setting out once more for the mountain. From their position on the crest of the low hill though, Saria could see in the light that there were things on the horizon before the mountain though, giving them reassurance that this had been a good direction to head in.

They walked all morning almost in silence. The day before, Link had been full of adrenaline from his battles inside the Great Deku Tree and the giving of his mission, but today there was no hiding his exhaustion. There were dark circles under his big blue eyes; so now it was Saria's turn to keep them moving, though she felt little better herself.

Given they had set off so early, it was before midday that they finally came upon it; water, somewhere between the size of a stream and a river, with a small stone bridge leading across it. There, they could see a long stone staircase leading upwards, and behind the shapes of rooves, there was the mountain. In sight, too, further away, was a greater mass of stonework and building. Looking upwards, shielding her eyes from the piercing sun, Saria could see the very tips of two red turrets; the kind that the Great Deku Tree had explained castles had.

"It has to be that way!" She pointed excitedly. Link managed a smile, and they began to walk with somewhat renewed energy; it hadn't been as long or as terrifying as they had thought it might- and yet, they had made the journey from the Kokiri Forest to the outskirts of Castle Town unharmed and without a map, following instinct and common sense alone. Water ringed the walls of the town, guarding it, Saria supposed. A huge drawbridge allowed access across the water and led, apparently, into the town. She was about to happily skip across it, but then she looked around and realised Link had stopped.

"This is it," He said, "The bridge I saw in my dream…" Had it only been two mornings ago when Link had sat with her by the stream, telling her about his nightmare? It seemed much longer than that.

"Come on," Saria said firmly, grabbing his hand and yanking him onwards once more.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks so much to everybody who has reviewed so far, you guys are lovely. We're getting into the meat of the story now, what with them finally arriving at Castle Town. I just thought it was important to tribute a little time to Hyrule Field, but I've tried to flesh it out more than in the game, made it bigger to traverse etc. Please leave me a review if you have the time, as feedback is helpful!**


	4. The Gerudo

**Chapter Four: The Gerudo**

They had never seen so many people in one place before.

Link and Saria had walked through a quiet cobbled street, looking with interest at the houses that lined it; so different from the tree-houses they and all their friends in Kokiri Forest occupied. But they hadn't had to walk long before they reached the market. Here, they were walled in on four sides by shops, stalls and humanity. A little girl cut across their path chasing a cucco, her yellow skirt flying behind her; a robust woman called anxiously for a little white dog that seemed to have gotten away; an old man told stories of legend to anyone who listened. And in between, people shouted their wares, hurried here and there carrying bags and sacks full of goods they'd purchased, and yelled greetings and insults to one another. It was the noise that most astounded Saria. She had found Hyrule Field creepy because of it's silence, but this din was nothing like that of the forest, whose voice was natural and tuneful; a song of life. This town was, well, it was just plain loud. Still, after the initial shock, Saria felt a thrill of excitement. These were sights she had hardly dared dream she might see.

"Which way to the castle?" Link was asking. Saria blinked. She loved Link for his focus but sometimes he could be too single-minded.

"Just hold on, Link," She said excitedly, grabbing his arm, "Look around you!" He stared around at their surroundings, seeing them but not apparently comprehending the point she was trying to make. "Could you ever have imagined any of this?" Saria asked him.

"No," Link replied, but then realisation dawned: "Oh..." His blue eyes lifted to the red slate rooves of the buildings in the town, travelled over the many different faces belonging to people of many ages, and watched the water in the fountain in the centre of the square, beside which they stood, leap and dance. A smile broke across his lips slowly, like a gentle wave. Saria giggled and impulsively hugged him.

"We should talk to people," Saria said decisively.

"We need to go and see the princess, Saria," Link reminded her.

"Yes, but look," Saria pulled him around to face the road which she could see led to Hyrule Castle. Through the throngs of people, you could see two armoured guards stood, holding tightly to spears, stood there, "Security is high. I don't think we'll be able to just walk up to them and ask to speak to the Princess."

"It's true," A new voice suddenly piped up beside them, taking them both by surprise, "My Dad delivers the milk to the castle all the time and he had terrible trouble getting them to let him in. And he's not even back yet." Saria and Link turned at the same time to find a girl around the same age as them standing there, gazing ruefully at the castle. The girl was pretty, with long reddish hair and freckles dotted across her nose and cheeks. She wore Hylian clothing; a white and blue ankle-length dress with a strange necklace of some sort of beast around her neck. When she saw the two Kokiri staring at her, she smiled:  
"You're not from around here, are you? I'm Malon. I come from Lon Lon Ranch." None of this meant anything to Saria and Link, though, but they smiled politely all the same.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Saria and this is Link. So, your father went to the castle?" Saria asked.

"Yes, but knowing him he fell asleep somewhere. I'm surprised the guards haven't just thrown him out and saved themselves the bother," Malon told her matter-of-factly, "Is that a fairy?" She'd noticed Navi drifting around Link's head, "Are you Fairy Kids from the forest?"

"Something like that," Saria replied quickly, "Do you know why there are so many guards around then?"

"I heard something about the Gerudo," Malon shrugged. Saria went to exchange a look with Link, but he was too busy staring furiously at the ground, the tips of his pointed ears bright red. He was shy in front of Malon!

"Thanks, Malon," Saria said to the other girl, who grinned.

"No problem! See you!" Saria had to drag Link away.

"You liked her," She teased her best friend, whose ears went even redder.

"No!" He protested too loudly, causing a few people nearby to look around sharply before going back to their business. Saria noticed that Link pulled his hat down over his ears a few seconds later though, when he thought she wasn't looking; she smirked, remembering fondly the day she'd told him she could always tell when he was embarrassed.

Saria thought they'd better be careful who they spoke to when they asked questions about the guards and the Gerudo. It proved difficult to get anybody to even notice the pair of them were there due to how busy the market was, so instead the pair of them mostly listened in on others' conversations. Two men were guffawing as they rearranged the items they had in their bags beside a tree.  
"...Think I'll try to find one of the Gerudo women," Saria and Link heard one of them say.

"Have you heard about 'em?" The second one.

"Why else would I say I was gonna find one?" The two laughed loudly as they heaved up their sacks and walked off. Saria and Link looked curiously at each other before shrugging, not understanding what the two men had meant.

"Where's my purse?" A woman was asking her companion, "Damn Gerudo's. You have to keep a close eye on everything when they're around." That one was easy to interpret- it wasn't the only comment that had alluded to the Gerudo being thieves. Her companion replied:

"They'll only be in town for a few days… I heard it's negotiations," She told the first woman.

"I heard it's so that their leader can pledge his allegiance to the King."

"But then they wouldn't need to put so many extra guards around, would they? Did you see him when he came in yesterday on that big black stallion? Frightening looking man, he is..." But Saria and Link both felt like they'd finally heard enough. So, Ganondorf was already poking his nose around the Royal Family. This made their need for them to get into the castle and see the princess seem all the more urgent.

"Let's go," Link said, and the two of them finally headed down the cobbled road heading north towards where they could see the turrets of the castle. There were more guards situated at either end of this road, but they didn't try to stop Link and Saria from going. The man-made road led smoothly into a sort of cleft between two cliffs. The occasional tree lined the side, and looking up Saria could clearly see the castle over one edge. It was huge, built of white stone and red slats, with a flag waving right at the top of the tallest tower. The sun bounced off it's walls, making it dazzling, but it was very beautiful. The road sloped gently up a low hill towards it, and the two of them followed it, taking in their surroundings. Here and there along the side of the two cliffs, vines grew. These were different vines than Saria was used to seeing in the forest; these ones were a lighter colour and small flowers grew on and around them.

"There are no guards here," Link muttered, "Maybe they just put them in the town because of the Gerudo."

"Do you think they're really all thieves?" Saria asked him with some concern. Kokiri's never stole.

"I don't know, but… oh," Link stopped walking. Up ahead of them, they could see a gate. It was locked firmly shut, and a guard stood before it. Saria sighed; of course it wasn't going to be that simple. They continued to approach the gate after a moment of hesitation. Saria's eyes moved from the guard to the huge castle in the backdrop. They really weren't very far from it, but there seemed to be no way through.

"What are you kids doing all the way out here?" The guard asked them as they approached.

"We, um, we wanted to see the castle," Saria answered lamely.

"Well, I'm afraid this is the closest you're going to get. We have a very important visitor here today and the castle is under extra security," The guard explained importantly.

"We need to get closer. It's important." Link informed him.

"What could be so important that two kids like you need to go to the castle?" The guard peered down at them through his visor. Saria didn't think it was such a good idea to tell him what they were really up to; he might laugh at them. And if he didn't laugh at them, it'd be even worse.

"Never mind," She said quickly, "I guess we won't be able to see the castle after all, Link!"

"But-" Link began, looking confused. Saria grabbed his arm and began pulling him away.

"No, no, we can't get in. Come on..." Link stumbled along behind her until she let go, when they were out of earshot of the guard.

"Saria, what are you doing?" He demanded.

"He might get suspicious if we keep arguing," She explained, "We'll just have to find some other way in!"

"How?" They looked around themselves. Saria's eyes once again fell upon the vines that grew up the side of the cliff. They climbed up vines all all the time in the forest- perhaps these were strong enough to do the same, even if they were different. She pointed them out to Link, who smiled briefly. But then his face fell again. "There are guards everywhere. Look." He pointed to the cliffs on the other side, the ones directly leading to the castle. Saria stood on tip toe and was just able to see that Link was right.

"We'll have to try and sneak past," She stated, sounding more confident than she felt. Link looked at her like he thought she was crazy. "Look, the Great Deku Tree told you that you have to see the Princess, and I told you that I'd be with you every step of the way. We'll find a way to the castle… we just will, somehow." Link stared at her for a long moment before nodding. Saria smiled. "We'll have to do it at night though, when it's dark enough that they might not see us."

With nothing else to do, the pair of them headed back to the market. The crowds were thinning a little as the afternoon wore on, and most of the stall-holders were beginning to reduce their prices. This enabled Saria and Link to buy some food with their rupees. They found a tree and sat beneath it, eating bread with cheese and pieces of fruit whilst watching the world go by. Saria watched one man run past with a sack that was almost as big as he was. He was dodging the crowds and trying to run for the back alleys. A guard was hot on his tail, though his heavy armour slowed him down. But then the man tripped, toppled over under the weight of his bag, and the goods inside spilt everywhere. As the man struggled to get back to his feet, the guard caught up with him. A moment later, the man was being clad in irons and led away. Saria watched all of this with a mouth slightly open.

"Was he a Gerudo?" Saria turned to ask Link, remembering the stories they'd heard about the thieves.

"Don't be so silly, girl," A low, husky female voice murmured from somewhere behind them, startling both children, "A Gerudo wouldn't get caught." Saria and Link turned their heads to find a woman unlike any they'd ever seen standing behind the tree they were leaning against. She had dark skin and red hair, just like Ganondorf, but her defined cheekbones and almond shaped eyes, as well as the way the red hair was tied back and falling across one shoulder, were beautiful rather than terrifying. Still, there was something intimidating about those stunningly amber eyes. Saria also noticed that the woman didn't have the pointed ears of a Hylian.

"You kids aren't from here, are you?" She asked, looking down her nose at them.

"We come from the forest," Saria replied. Link was simply staring at the woman, as dumbstruck as he'd been when they saw Malon, though perhaps for different reasons

"Ah…" The woman nodded, "My mother visited the forest, a long time ago. She never came back." Saria cast a sideways look at Link; the woman's mother would have become a Stalfos. Strangely, though, the lady smiled: "You don't have to look so sad. My mother was a fool. Now, tell me what you're doing in Hyrule Castle Town."

"We need to see the Princess," Saria heard herself reply. She wasn't sure why she was telling the Gerudo woman. There was just something about her that, despite the fact she was formidable, was trustworthy too. As if somehow, despite being a stranger, she was on their side.

"Then why don't you?" The woman replied.

"There are guards all around the castle..."

"You can make it past them. If I could, you certainly can." Saria felt her eyes widen.

"You got to see Zelda?" She asked her.

"I got as far as the walls- the guards believe they can protect the castle from us, but they can't. There was a sort of… drain hole in the side of one of the walls. I couldn't fit through, but you two easily could. All you have to do is swim through the moat, so you won't be seen by the imbeciles nearest the castle doors." The woman had leant down to tell them this, her eyes shimmering mysteriously. Saria cast her gaze around, but none of the townspeople were in listening distance.

"Thank you," She whispered. The woman smiled at them and began to move away.

"Wait!" Link suddenly spoke for the first time. The woman looked back at them questioningly, "What's your name?"

"Nabooru," She replied simply, before melting into the crowds.

* * *

 **A/N: So here is chapter four. I hope you liked it! Thanks for all the lovely reviews, I'd love to hear more feedback!**


	5. Zelda's Lullaby

**Chapter Five: Zelda's Lullaby**

Hyrule Castle Town Market was dark and had the feeling of being crowded by night. More guards stood around the place, looking out for wrongdoing, but nobody stopped Link and Saria from heading down the road to the castle again. Both were glad that the moonlight didn't fall as brightly here as it had in Hyrule Field; it'd be hard to spot them through the darkness. Saria was also counting on the guards' lack of peripheral vision as a result of the heavy metal visors they wore.

They were some day down the road when a sound filled their ears; it was a melody, sweetly sung, which bounced off the cliff-sides in the darkness. When they drew nearer, about halfway along the road before it turned towards the gate which barred the way to the castle, they found the source of the song: Malon was singing.

"Oh, it's the Fairy Kids," She said, pausing her song when sensing they were near, her eyes opening. "So you're really going to the castle?"

"We think so," Saria replied. Link was, once again, doing everything he could to avoid looking at Malon. She suppressed a giggle at his discomfort.

"If you see my Dad, could you give him a message?" Malon asked cheerfully, apparently not finding it at all strange that the two children should be attempting to sneak into the castle grounds in the middle of the night, "Can you just wake him up, wherever he is, and send him home? We've left Mr Ingo alone for days and it's hard work on the ranch."

"Of course," Saria replied, "If we see him, we'll tell him."

"Thank you Saria," Malon smiled happily, "And by the way, if you're looking for a way up there, right here the vines are strong." Malon stood back and showed them a very thick clump of vines which grew behind where she stood waiting for her father. Link obligingly approached them and tugged them with all his might; they didn't budge. Satisfied, Saria thanked Malon again before following Link up the vines, climbing easily and nimbly.

At the top, Saria could see that the cliffs led to where the gate was. They could easily cross the gate like a bridge to the other side, where the castle was. Link spotted the same thing and led the way, quietly. Saria followed equally light of foot; hunting in the forest with nothing but a slingshot, deku nuts and wits had taught them both a lot about being stealthy.

As soon as they reached the stone archway which housed the gate, Saria realised they couldn't get by. There was a guard directly on the other side of it, standing stoically and looking ahead. It was a miracle of the night that he couldn't already see them. Saria grabbed Link's arm and pointed at him, scared to make a sound. Link nodded and pointed to a spot a few feet ahead. Saria could see a dark space there, almost like a hole. They crept forward, and on closer inspection it was revealed to be the entrance to a ladder which led down to the inside of the gate. At the bottom of this narrow space was a door.

Saria took the lead this time, descending the ladder and quietly pushing open the door, though Link was close behind her. Creeping very quietly so as not to draw the attention of the guard who was still stood on the other side of the gate, the two made to follow the road around to the castle. The cliffs sloped down to meet the road here, making them steep but climbable. Saria realised this was their only hope when she spotted two more guards ahead, blocking access by the road. Link began to climb the cliffs carefully, making sure to keep his head down. There were guards up here too, but not as many. The dry dirt slid under his feet, treacherous. He looked back and saw Saria was following, though she had more trouble with the steep climb than he did. When she was in reach, he held out his hand and she took it gratefully. Link hoisted both of them over the lip of the hill, and the pair scurried for the relative cover of a tree. Huddling behind it's trunk, the two finally risked a few whispers:

"Those are the castle doors, over there," Saria whispered, pointing. The white walls of the castle reflected the moonlight, and in turn bounced it off the water in the moat surrounding the castle. A set of steps led up to the drawbridge, which was shut, and at the top of those stairs, in plain sight, were two more guards.

"Nabooru said we'll have to swim in the moat," Link hissed back.

"We can't even get the moat..." Saria squinted, looking for a way past. Guards were stood at strategic intervals across the field of sorts. There were, however, far more closer to the road, where most intruders were likely to pass by. To the right of where they were stood, there were no guards at all, just those some distance behind them. Link was looking in the same direction as Saria. A wall had been built along the cliffside. Even if it was fruitless, their best chances of advancement was over that wall. Saria guessed it was quite a drop down to the moat on the other side, but it was too late to turn back now. She glanced at Link and he nodded. Saria noticed that, already, he was taking the lead more readily. She followed him as he simply made a break for it, sprinting across the grass towards the wall. They were light on their feet, having learnt how to be quick and silent when hunting in the woods. In no time at all, they'd bridged the distance between their tree and the wall.

"Now...what…?" Saria huffed, out of breath. Link was braced against the wall.

"Need… footholds," He panted back. Saria felt the wall and indeed, it was a sheer surface. She glanced up at the moon; it was still high in the sky, but by day they'd be more visible. They'd have to work fast.

"How did Nabooru do it?" She wondered, once she was recovered from running.

"She could probably reach the top," Link replied quietly, pointing. Saria thought about it and realised he was right- Nabooru was tall, could probably pull herself up and over if she stretched. It would not be so easy for two children, though. Ever resourceful, Saria cast around and spotted a rock lying nearby; one side was jagged enough to work at the cement between the bricks.

"Come on then," She said, her voice sounding bright as she began to work away at some of the bricks at the bottom, trying to widen the gaps between them enough to allow purchase for at least their toes. Link soon found a similar rock and they worked away for what felt like forever. The cement fell away slowly as sand. Even once they'd made holes for their feet, they had to go as high as they could to make grips for their hands. Link thought that if they could get halfway up they could probably scale the rest under their own steam. Saria was relieved to hear this as it had been long, exhausting work. By the time they were finished, the sky had the greyish-pink tinge that heralded dawn again and both children were stupid from lack of sleep.

Link managed to get to the top of the wall first, and he heaved Saria up the rest of the way. The moat was, as she had suspected, on the other side of this, though there was ground between. If they didn't leap out far enough, they risked breaking their legs in an awkward landing.

"It's not so far," Link judged. He was the better diver and swimmer of the two. "And the current is strong, so they probably won't notice our splashes. We'll jump together." Having no energy to argue, Saria simply agreed and took his hand, hoping that he was right. Link quietly counted to three and the two of them pushed off and outwards with all their remaining strength, Saria keeping her eyes squeezed shut to prevent herself from screaming.

There wasn't much time for fear. Seconds after jumping, Saria felt herself and Link hit the water. And as it filled her ears and nose, she knew relief for a second; they had made it at least as far as Nabooru had now.

The current did most of the work at pushing them along. Saria struggled to keep her head above water, but it didn't take them long to hit up against the castle wall. Link stuck his head up to check for guards, but even he was too tired to reassure her. He simply climbed wearily out of the water and Saria followed him. The pair of them, drenched, their clothes sticking to them, and fading fast from exhaustion, collapsed underneath a tree and immediately fell asleep.

Judging by the position of the sun, it was late morning when Saria woke up. No guards had discovered them as they slept, which was a relief, and her clothes were nearly dry. Sleeping in wet clothes, though, had done her no good as she could feel herself getting a chill as she sat up. Link was right beside her, looking peaceful as he slept. But even after she shook him awake, she was aware she could still hear somebody snoring. Baffled, she rubbed her eyes and looked around. Close by, to her surprise, she could see a man fast asleep, too, beside some crates. One of the crates had a picture of a cow's head on the side.  
"That must be Malon's Dad," Saria told Link. Link had slept awkwardly on his back, and was readjusting his equipment whilst rubbing his neck. He looked over to where the man was sleeping. He was a portly man- balding and with a moustache. Saria thought that even in sleep he had a kind face. Saria stood up, stretched, and readjusted her own Deku shield on her back. She then headed over to the man and began to prod him.

"Excuse me… Sir…? Mister, wake up!" She called. Link came over and nudged the man with his boot too. It took a lot of trying but eventually, he finally stirred.

"Harumph..." The man grumbled in his sleep obliviously, briefly opening his eyes before closing them against the bright sun.

"Wake up!" Saria repeated.

"What in tarnation..." The man muttered, rubbing his eyes and sitting up, looking at the two children. "Can't a man get a little shut eye around here?"

"Sorry, sir," Saria apologised. He looked at her big blue eyes for a minute but then smiled.

"Not to worry. It's probably about time I got up anyway," He said. Saria noticed he had an accent when he spoke- she hadn't particularly noticed one in Malon, but Nabooru had spoken differently too, though it was not the same way Talon spoke. She supposed different parts of Hyrule must have different ways of talking. "What're your names, kids?"

"I'm Saria and this is my friend, Link," She introduced the boy, who, true to character, was yet to speak.

"Well Saria and Link, I'm Talon, proud owner of Lon Lon Ranch," He grinned down at them.

"We met Malon in the market. She said we should send you home," Saria explained, hoping to avert any questions he might have as to why or how they'd come so close to the castle. She had hardly spared the building a look up close, almost afraid to contemplate the next part of their mission.

"Malon? I'm gonna catch it from her now… Look, I've gotta get going, but thanks. If you kids ever need anything swing by the ranch- you'll like our Lon Lon Milk!" He took off at top speed before either child could respond, leaving them alone beside the crates of milk.

"That must be the drain that Nabooru mentioned," Link said, once Talon was gone, "There." Saria looked where he was pointing. The gap in the side of the castle wall was indeed no wider than would allow someone small to crawl through. Still, the prospect of actually doing so was not inviting; they would be able to leap over to the small lip from which a narrow stream of water flowed, but that would mean getting wet again. And from here on in they didn't know what to expect. Saria looked around and spotted a door nearby.

"Maybe we can go through there?" She wondered. It was obviously the door through which goods were delivered, which her limited knowledge of castles informed her probably meant it led into the servant quarters. But Nabooru hadn't mentioned a door, which probably meant that it was locked. Link answered this question by going over to it. The heavy old door was rusty and, indeed, locked tight. Saria sighed. "I guess we have no choice."

A little rearrangement of the heavy crates and it was simple for the two of them to leap across to the hole. Link went first and Saria waited for a moment; what if there was a guard right on the other side? She listened anxiously through the hole but there was no sign of trouble, so she crawled through after him.

It was immediately apparent that the castle was even huger than anticipated. They found themselves in gardens, largely consisting of fancy fountains like the one in the market place. Holding this all together were plants, though not the wild, free growing plants Saria and Link saw in the forest. These were flowering, structured and carefully pruned versions. There were also hedges rising like walls above their heads. Saria's first thought was that although this was clearly a beautiful place, she could never live here.

The pair of them set carefully off through the garden, but it soon became clear they were far from clear of guards; there were still many of them patrolling even these peaceful gardens. The King must be really worried about intruders, Saria thought. Or just about Ganondorf…

There were lots of near misses, but somehow the pair of them got past all the guards, ducking and diving behind hedges and bushes to avoid being seen. But Saria sensed the guards' distraction too, their minds not completely on their jobs.

"Look," Link whispered suddenly in Saria's ear. They had been crouched behind a wall of hedge, facing towards the smooth white walls of the castle. To one side of them rose a huge stone archway made of the same stone. It was through this that Link pointed; it seemed to lead into a courtyard which was enclosed on three sides by castle walls. Although it was a large space, with well-tended flower beds, Saria could just see somebody moving at the other end of it; somebody who couldn't be much taller than they were.

"That's her," Saria whispered back, not quite sure how she was so certain, "That's Zelda." Link nodded, still looking at the small, distant figure. It was as if he knew too.

They got to their feet and began to make their way slowly towards the princess.

The grass was soft and muffled their footsteps, so Zelda didn't hear them and turn around as they drew nearer. Link's eyes were fixed on the princesses back, but Saria was looking all around. The castle seemed even taller when you were surrounded by it, and there were many windows looking down into this courtyard. What if somebody looked down and saw them? However, when their footsteps transitioned from silent grassy ones to the sound of boots on stone, a gasp alerted Saria to the fact that Zelda knew they were there.

"Who…?" The Princess had spun around. She was tall, but Hylian children were often taller than Kokiri, Saria had noticed. She wore a long, beautiful gown of lavender and a head dress which concealed most but not all of a head of golden hair. Her eyes were quite round, and her mouth was open slightly in surprise. "Who are you?" She asked them quietly, "How did you get past the guards?"

Neither Link nor Saria answered. They had both been so focused on making it to this point that neither knew what to do now, or what to say. Saria glanced hopefully at Juno, who had floated out to see the Princess for herself, and a shimmer at the corner of her eye also alerted her to Navi's presence.  
"Are they… fairies?" Zelda asked, looking at the two of them, "Then are you… are you two from the forest?" Link nodded. There was a pause, and then Zelda's face broke out into a smile, "Oh thank the goddesses!"

Saria and Link both listened intently as Zelda explained the strange dreams she'd been having. That a green light had shot out of the forest through clouds of darkness. In turn, Link explained what the Great Deku Tree had told them. Zelda asked to see the Spiritual Stone.  
Saria had not actually seen the Kokiri Emerald for herself. Although she knew Link had it, she had, for some reason, felt like she wasn't worthy of handling it herself. However, Link produced it. It was bright green, not just because the emerald caught the light but because it seemed to shine with light of it's own. The gold setting curled delicately around it, and Saria thought it was shaped a little like a leaf.

"With the three Spiritual Stones, Ganondorf can open the Door of Time and access the Sacred Realm. We must not allow him to!" Zelda gasped, surprising both of them by grabbing both their hands. "We have to stop him… no, we have to beat him there. The Triforce… rests there. Promise me, Link… Saria..." There was a pause as the two girls looked at each other. Although Link had told Zelda his name, Saria had not spoken to Zelda once. And yet she knew her name. Deciding to skate over this strange fact in favour of more important things, Saria spoke:

"We promise," She said simply. Link nodded solemnly. And then, a moment later, Zelda beamed.

"There are two more Spiritual Stones. The Goron's Ruby… and the Zora's Sapphire," The Princess informed them. Saria had no idea what Goron's or Zora's were, but if they were like the Kokiri she supposed they were a different race of people in Hyrule.

"Is that..." Link suddenly piped up, distracting them both. He was gazing over Zelda's shoulder to the window behind her. Zelda turned and looked.

"Yes… he says he is here to pledge allegiance to my father… but I don't believe him." Link and Saria approached the window cautiously. Tiptoeing, Saria could see a section of a long room with a deep blue carpet, the walls lined with fine tapestries. Just to the side of the window, she knew this man had to be Ganondorf. He was very tall, taller than any of the other adults Saria had seen. He had dark skin and red hair, just like Nabooru, and wore dark clothing. He looked powerful and strong, too. There was something unpleasant radiating from him, even from where they stood outside. As if he could sense eyes on him, Ganondorf glanced around. Startled, Saria and Link jumped back from the window.

"Did he see you?" Zelda asked, "Don't worry. He has no idea what we're planning." Saria glanced at Link. He was very white; he, of course, had seen the man in his dream.

"What if he tells the guards he saw us?" Saria asked the Princess.

"Don't worry, my attendant Impa will escort you out," Zelda replied.

"The Princess has told me everything, and I believe her. So should you," A voice spoke from behind them, once again making them jump. A formidable woman stood there. She was very muscular and svelte, and neither Saria nor Link had heard her approach. It would be impossible to guess her age, despite her white hair.

"Thank you for everything," Zelda said, and Saria and Link both took this is as a dismissal. The two children turned away and began to follow Impa. The woman stopped them, however, when they reached the stone archway.

"You have a long journey ahead of you," She informed them. Saria noticed her voice was deep for a woman's, but there was something reassuring about it, "You'll encounter many different obstacles, most of which we cannot anticipate. But there is one that we can avert from now- learn the song of the royal family to show your connection."

"A song?" Link asked blankly, as if he'd never heard of such a thing. But Saria understood and pulled out her ocarina.

"I can play," She said to Impa, who nodded approvingly.

"I used to sing this to Zelda when she was a baby as a lullaby," She raised her fingers to her lips and began to whistle. Surprisingly, the whistle was soft and beautiful, and very tuneful. It took only two or three repetitions of the simple melody before Saria was playing along, the Ocarina adding a willowy note to the song. Once satisfied that the song had been learnt, Impa looked down at them and smiled.

"Follow me."

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks to everybody who has reviewed so far, you guys are so kind :) I'm sorry that I kept you waiting a little bit with this chapter, I don't seem to have had a second to myself this past week. Anyway, it is here now, so please let me know what you think!**


	6. Kakariko Village

**Chapter Six: Kakariko Village**

"The Gorons live on Death Mountain. My village, Kakariko, is right underneath the mountain. Talk to the people there- it's always good to get as much information as possible before anything else." Saria and Link nodded at Impa's advice as she led them down the road away from the castle and back towards town. "Always make sure you're prepared for anything that might happen." They came to a stop on the edge of town. Saria and Link looked up at the woman.

"Thank you," Saria said sincerely. Although Impa was a little intimidating to look at, and she was certainly brisk in manner, she was helping them.

"Take care of yourselves. And remember the song."

"I'll have to teach you to play it, Link-" Saria was saying, before a blinding flash went off and both of them were treated to the feeling of being slapped hard around the face. Blinking, they looked around; Impa had vanished. "Ouch!"

"She must've thrown Deku Nuts," Link muttered,. Saria nodded, patting her cheeks to get rid of the unpleasant stinging sensation.

They headed back into the market place, but Saria had a different outlook now. Impa had instilled in her a sense of purpose; while they were here they should make sure they had enough food and water to continue with their journey. Saria also wanted to purchase something for the chill that she had developed since swimming in the cold water of the moat. Link pointed out a Potions Shop.

Many ingredients used in potions and medicines could be found in the forest, so the Kokiri were quite well versed about what could be used for which ailments. After quizzing the shopkeeper, she decided on what was described as a 'red potion', which would perk her up and take away the chill. Saria took her dose and shivered; she would be grateful when the medicine kicked in.

It seemed the market was lively everyday of the week. Most of the faces were indiscriminate, but there were a few Saria recalled seeing the day before. She and Link didn't have much money between them, so were a little worried about acquiring enough food for the journey. He suggested that there was bound to be food in the village too, but Saria kept spotting other items that might be useful; one was a heavy shield made of a sort of tough metal that one of the shops was selling. It was adult sized, so neither of them would have been able to use it properly, but it was also much tougher than a Deku Shield, as well as being resistant to burning. The same shop also sold arrows, Deku Nuts and the kind of seeds which were useful for slingshots. Although these items could be found for free lying around the forest, it did cross her mind that it would be harder to come by them in the rest of Hyrule. The sparse few trees she'd seen in Castle Town and Hyrule Field had been sadly ordinary ones, not bearing any useful seeds or edible nuts. Death Mountain also didn't sound like somewhere that there would be an awful lot of plant life. Prioritising, the two of them got some bread and a wrapped package of meat which had already been cooked to take with them, as well as some seeds and nuts.

"It's getting late again," Saria noted after a couple of hours of wondering around the market and surrounding streets. Link looked up at the sun, trying to judge it's position, but it was harder to tell with all the buildings.

"We should get going," Link agreed. Of course, heading into Hyrule Field again at this time would be risking it getting dark before they arrived. Although it wasn't as far away as the forest, that still meant encountering Stalchildren, something Saria was not enthusiastic about. Still, Link was not one to want to waste time and Saria would have a hard job arguing with him. So, the pair of them made their way across the main market square, weaving their way between the legs of adults, almost tripping over a small white dog, until they neared the road they had entered by the day before, which would lead them back out to Hyrule Field. It was there, though, that they found their way blocked.

"Leaving so soon?" A voice asked. The two children looked up to find Nabooru smirking down at them.

"Yes," Saria answered stoutly.

"Where's next?" Nabooru questioned.

"Kakariko Village," Link replied. Nabooru's amber eyes sparkled mischievously.

"How did my advice work out for you two?" Link and Saria glanced at one another. They would never gave gotten to see Princess Zelda without Nabooru's help, but on the other hand, being a Gerudo, they could not risk telling her too much and having it get back to Ganondorf. Saria's gratitude won out a little over her suspicion though:

"It helped. Thank you," She told the woman. Once again, Nabooru allowed them to glimpse her real, genuine smile. When she did this, Saria was struck with how beautiful the Gerudo woman was. In fact, they all were- Saria and Link had spotted more of them about town today- but Nabooru was in particular.

"Stay safe," Nabooru said, letting them go. Link and Saria hurried onwards, knowing that the clock was ticking away the hours of daylight they had left to their advantage.

Back out in Hyrule Field, the brightness of the sun threatened to blind them again, but this time Saria was expecting it. Turning her head to the side, she scanned the skyline for Death Mountain and found it easily. She and Link began to head there, keeping a fast pace.

"Have you ever heard of a Goron?" Saria asked Link curiously as they followed the river along towards the mountain, figuring this would be their best bet.

"Once," Link replied, surprising her. "The Great Deku Tree told me a story of a Goron slaying a dragon." Now that he said it, Saria _did_ remember something along those lines. Mido had acted it out afterwards, pretending that a fallen branch was the huge hammer the Goron had used to deliver his final blow to the dragon. Link had stayed silent but later on, when he was with Saria in the Lost Woods, he had absent-mindedly drawn the same scene out in the wet mud beside a small pond.

"Do you think it was a true story?" Saria inquired, thinking about it.

"I thought it was just a legend, but maybe it was true," Link shrugged, "Gohma was real, wasn't she?" That was true. The Kokiri had always told scary stories about Queen Gohma, the arachnid who dwelled deep within the woods and who ate children. Link had battled and defeated her deep inside the Great Deku Tree.

"Lot's of legends have truth to them," Navi chimed up in her loud voice, making them both jump.

They reached the same stone bridge they had seen on their way to Castle Town as the sun began to set. Although it was small, it was very solid and they crossed it without fear. But Saria was a little afraid of something else, as the sun kept getting lower in the sky, taking away the bright yellow light of day and leaving a very dense quiet behind as the world went to sleep. In the distance, they heard a wolf howl. It was as if it was signalling the arrival of night the same way a rooster announces the arrival of day. Almost as soon as the howl had died down, a scuffling noise announced the arrival of two new Stalchildren a short distance away. Link and Saria looked at each other, and the latter glanced towards what she could see was a staircase which seemed to lead to a sort of plateau on which the village sat, below the mountain.

"Run for it?" Link asked her, and Saria nodded in relief. The two ran full pelt for the steps, easily outrunning the Stalchildren, who moved too clumsily and slowly to catch them.

By the time they arrived at the top of the stairs, both of them were completely out of death. Saria was clutching a stitch in her side while Link was coughing. They seemed to be safe here, though. After taking a minute to catch their breath, they headed onwards towards where they could see lights in the windows of the houses of the villagers.

"Excuse me," A male voice coughed to their left. Saria jumped, just as they were about to enter through the archway which proclaimed the name of the village. In the dark it was hard to see, but a guard stood there in full armour, "Are you going somewhere?" Link and Saria glanced at each other.

"Erm..." She said, "We're just visiting the village." The guard looked down at them over the lip of his visor.

"Fine. But it's late- kids like you should be indoors." They nodded and hurried on in before he could say anything more.

It was difficult to say much about Kakariko Village by night. There were a few houses scattered around, built in a more attractive style than those in Castle Town- they were bigger, too. Given the fact the village was built at the bottom of a mountain, whoever had constructed the settlement had worked around the sloping ground by building steps into it, making it much easier to navigate. The village green was where Saria and Link found themselves. To their left somewhere they could still make out the smoke ring around the top of Death Mountain. Right ahead, they could see a strange structure with slowly spinning turbines dominating the sky line. Off to their right were more houses.

"Where do we start?" Saria asked Link, who shrugged. It was a blessing that unlike Hyrule Field, the village was peaceful by night. However, they'd still been taxed with the task of getting to know more about the area they were in by Impa, and Saria happened to think that Zelda's guardian had left them with sound advice. She was just thinking that it'd be difficult to find anybody out and about during the dark when she spotted someone up ahead, coming down the steps in front of the spinning structure towards them. He seemed to be carrying something like a suitcase, and kept looking back over his shoulder and cursing. At one point he spat on the ground. He spotted them but said nothing as he flung his suitcase down beneath the tree at the middle of the green and then sat down roughly on top of it. A few feet away, the two children stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do. Saria thought the man, though young, didn't look very healthy. He was wearing no shirt, though the air was so warm around Kakariko that he hardly needed one, and his ribs showed through. His face was also thin and emaciated in appearance, so his bright, blue-grey eyes looked unnaturally large and bulbous.

"What're you looking at?" He snapped at them, making Saria jump. Hesitantly, she and Link made their way forward. Link's hand was on his scabbard, though he didn't draw the Kokiri Sword.

"Sorry, sir," Saria began, and the man snorted.

"I don't see no sir," He huffed. Saria felt confused.

"Erm… is something wrong?" She questioned hesitantly.

"Yes," He spat angrily, "People are disgusting. My own mother and father are disgusting. _You_ must be disgusting too." Well, they hadn't expected that. Taken aback, Saria looked at Link again, but he just silently shook his head and indicated that they should leave him alone. Agreeing, Saria began to follow Link as he set off further into the village.

"Yeah, just walk away!" He called after them. Saria decided not to look back.

One of the first houses they passed drew their attention immediately due to the noise and hubbub coming from within. All the windows were thrown open and voices travelled out, as well as the clink of cutlery and plates and glasses. Link raised an eyebrow.  
"Impa said talk to people," He reminded her, "Those are people." Saria wasn't sure what could be gained by knocking on the door, but they didn't have much to lose either, so she let Link do it. A few seconds passed before the door was opened and both children felt themselves being dragged happily inside.

There seemed to be a lot of people in here, so Saria wondered if it was a kind of inn. The house was set up similarly to how the Kokiri houses were, as in everything was all in one open room. In one far corner of the room there were several beds, and in another was a roaring stove with a huge pot sitting on it. The delicious smell of food filled their nostrils. It was hard to know who had pulled them inside but plenty of enthusiastic hands pushed the two onwards until, finally, Saria and Link found themselves in front of a voluptuous woman with wildly curly brown hair. When she saw them, she welcomed them with a warm smile.  
"Oh hello dears! Are you here for dinner? The food isn't quite ready yet but feel free to make yourselves comfortable while you wait!" She boomed.

"Dinner?" Link repeated.

"Food?" Saria said.

"Oh, you two are new here! Well don't worry dears, please make yourselves at home. I like to help the poorer waifs and strays around the village- it's a repayment to Impa, for opening this village to the common folk." Saria raised her eyebrows.

"Impa?"

"Yes, the great Sheikah woman and the leader of this village. One day this little village will be bigger than Castle Town, you know, but in the meantime we have to make do." Feeling like this had raised more questions than it answered, Saria looked at Link as the woman returned to cooking.

"I remember hearing about the Sheikah," She said, "They served the Royal Family had helped protect them in the war." Link nodded. They had never learned a great deal about the civil war, but they knew there had been one and that the forest had been the only safe place, untouched by the destruction of the conflict. Saria had also thought she recognised the symbol Impa had wore on her clothes, a red eye with three lashes and a tear, from somewhere, and now of course she knew where. Sheikah Stones could be found everywhere, even in the forest, though nobody knew anything about them other than that being what they were.

Not long after, Link and Saria were both given generous helpings of soup and bread by the kind lady who owned this house, and food gave them reason to socialise more with the other people in the house. They didn't seem to think it was strange that two children were out exploring the world together, they just accepted it. There was a group of carpenters working on various construction sites around the village who seemed to be making the most noise, though Saria gathered much of what they said were complaints about work. Their boss was a quieter man, though she could tell he disapproved of everything they said and insulted them to anybody who would listen. She decided she was more likely to get helpful information out of him.

"What are you building?" She asked him curiously.

"Well, there are new houses being built here all the time. There's never enough space for all the new people pouring into the village. We're also working on a few shops, and a shooting gallery," He replied, "The village is up and coming, but it'll be a few years before all the work is completed."

"It sounds like a lot," Saria commented.

"It wouldn't be so much if this lot got off their backsides more often and tried harder!" The man announced, throwing a disapproving look at his employees.

"Come on boss, we never stop!" One of them protested.

"We're working ourselves to death!" Moaned another.

"Where did you kids come from? Your clothes are… different," The man observed, looking at Saria's practical green dress and Link's tunic and hat.

"The forest," Saria said quickly, "We've never seen much of Hyrule."

"Well, no better place to start than here," He replied smartly.

"What about the mountain?"

"Yeah, if they'll let you up there," He grunted, "Stupid jobs-worth guard they've stuck on the gate. Used to trade a lot for stone from the Gorons but I can hardly get up there anymore. New safety regulations- they say because it's an active volcano it's not safe to go up there, but they never used to care!" Saria glanced at Link, but she could tell he wasn't picking up what he was saying. He was actually gazing into space, lost in thought. Saria, however, couldn't help thinking that the sudden increase in guards had nothing to do with safety regulations and everything to do with trying to protect the Gorons from Ganondorf. After all, if he'd already gone after the Kokiri Emerald, the chances were he'd also targeted the Goron's Ruby.

"So you think we'll have trouble going up the mountain?" Saria confirmed anxiously.

"Hmph," The man grumbled, "I'd say so."

Link and Saria stayed the night there in the house with the carpenters. It was nice to be able to sleep on an actual bed again, soft beneath them, even if they were sharing. They lay at opposite ends of the bed, so that Link's feet were near Saria's head and vice-versa. Link fell asleep instantly but Saria lay awake for a while, running back over everything they had seen and done so far; the Stalchildren in the Field, meeting Malon and Nabooru, sneaking past the guards to see Princess Zelda, glimpsing Ganondorf through a window… it didn't seem like only a couple of days since they had left the forest. Saria had forgotten their worries that she might die if she left, but she smiled a little at the thought now. The outside world wasn't so bad, though it was huge and full of unknowns. She was enjoying seeing different scenery and seeing so many different types of people everywhere.

When they woke up the next morning, the carpenters had already left for work. The woman who owned the house gave them a cheery wave as they went out the door, and Saria and Link finally got to glimpse Kakariko Village in broad daylight. A well stood in the shadow of the building with the turbines, which Link recalled aloud was called a windmill. A woman nervously attended to some cuccos in a pen, though she shivered violently whenever one touched her and the birds kept threatening to escape her. Right in the middle of the village stood a house which had fallen into partial disrepair. Cobwebs and dust made it very difficult to see in through the windows. Beyond the windmill, towards the edge of the village, was a short pathway leading to the graveyard.

"Do you think we'll find anything out in there?" Link asked Saria. He didn't look too keen on the idea. Saria also disliked the idea of a graveyard- in the forest, when somebody died, they were buried with new trees planted above them, so that they would live on in the woods. Fado, the strange Kokiri girl, had a theory that that was why the Lost Wood's were 'lost', that death had twisted the trees. Saria didn't believe that- she thought it was much creepier the way Hylian's dealt with their dead, burying them with made-up faces to look as if they were still alive, with huge slabs of stone covering them over. Still, she also knew that if there was any way you could find out about the living, it was to look at the circumstances of their dead. So, she put on a brave face:

"Somebody must tend to the graves. He must meet every person in the village." And so, reluctantly, the two children decided to visit the graveyard.

* * *

 **A/N: Somebody mentioned to me that it seems like Link and Saria would spend more time exploring the world around them, and to be honest I agree. I was planning to have them explore the land in an organic way anyway, but I felt that it was more important that they spend time in the village than the town as we'll be coming back to it so much later on, so here we are having a look around the village. I'm sorry not a whole lot happens in this chapter, but sometimes you have to use filler!**

 **Also, because we met her again in this chapter, a little bit about my early inclusion of Nabooru: I always felt like of all the Sages, Nabooru is the one we know least about and spend the least time getting to know in-game. She was obviously anti-Ganondorf or Twinrova wouldn't have had to brainwash her, what with her being second-in-command of the Gerudo. So I just wanted to show that she is as connected to the story of the Hero of Time as Saria, Darunia, Ruto, Impa and Zelda are, even if her morals are questionable in some senses. I also wanted everyone to like her.**

 **Now for something about Malon: yes, Link has a cute little crush on her. Isn't it adorable? But please guys, remember that Link is still a kid at this point. Don't take it too seriously, as any developments that may or may not happen later on will not be happening until Link is no longer a shy little kid :) Anyway. Thanks very much for reading guys, I hope I cleared up a few questions! Please feel free to ask me anything else you want to know about my interpretation of this story, and leave me any feedback you feel is necessary too!**


	7. Death Mountain

**Chapter Seven: Death Mountain**

They'd been right to expect to find the graveyard creepy. Tucked away behind the village, it had a neglected feel to it. Even the skies seemed greyer over the graveyard than they did anywhere else. A tumbledown wooden shack was set not too far from the graves, and smoke was emitting from the chimney. Saria shivered at the thought of living in a graveyard. Link seemed less fazed than her, though he did slow his tread. On entry to the graveyard, a huge headstone was the first thing to greet them. The eye of the Sheikah was etched onto it, but the script was almost unreadable- it was written in an old form of Hylian.

"Do you think we should knock on the door?" Link asked in a hushed voice, pointing towards the shack.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you!" The voice that answered didn't belong to Saria. A small boy they hadn't seen, who'd been hiding behind the headstone, jumped out at them. Saria stumbled backwards and almost fell over in shock, and Link had automatically drawn the Kokiri Sword. "Did I scare you?" The boy asked eagerly, "Cool!" Hand over her heart, Saria was calming down and rapidly becoming angry.

"Why did you do that?" She demanded of the boy.

"Because I want to scare people, like Dampe!" He grinned. Link sheathed his sword, annoyed.

"Who's Dampe?"

"He's the graveyard keeper. He lives in that shack and patrols the graveyard at night- that's why I wouldn't disturb him if I was you!" Saria crossed her arms over her chest.

"And why are _you_ playing in the graveyard?"

"I told you, I want to be just like Dampe. And you'd better not mess with the graves, either." His expression became somewhat serious at that, "Bad things happen when people do." Saria couldn't imagine why anyone would want to mess around with the graves, or spend any more time here than necessary.

"We wanted to find more out about the village," Link said to the boy, "Can you help us?"

"All I know is that everyone important who's anyone gets buried right in here. The Royal Family's tomb is right at the back over there," He pointed over to the back of the graveyard. Saria and Link looked at each other and shrugged- it might be worth looking at. "Watch out for Poe's!" The boy called after them as they headed over there. Saria listened as Navi piped up to explain what a Poe was- ghosts or spirits of hatred in the world. She didn't like the sound of them, anyway.

"I wonder what's up there," Link said suddenly, pointing upwards. The graveyard hit a kind of wall at the back, but up above it they could see fencing and some sort of entrance, but there were no clues as to what it was. Saria was sure it was nothing good, though. She got a prickly, foreboding feeling about it- like something terrible had once happened there.

"Oh look," Saria pointed at their feet instead. Right in front of the large stone proclaiming itself to mark the tomb of the Royal Family, a Triforce symbol seemed to be etched into the dirt. Link crouched down and dusted some of the earth away, and Saria realised it was actually a slab of stone.

"The ground is loose," Juno said suddenly, making them jump. Saria looked at her fairy. "There's an entrance to the tomb under our feet." Saria kicked her heel into the ground and sure enough, she heard the thump of something hollow. "If you could prove your connection to the Royal Family I'm sure you could get in," Juno the fairy added. Saria leapt back suddenly.

"No way!" She cried. Link looked intrigued, but he still shook his head.

"We haven't found anything here and we need to get up to Goron City. Let's go."

They avoided the strange little boy on the way out. Scary he was not- but odd, definitely. Resolved not to waste any more time, the two children headed across the village towards the foot of Death Mountain trail. Standing beneath it made the mountain seem even more intimidatingly huge.

The guard the head carpenter had mentioned was just as staunch as they'd been warned.  
"Nobody is permitted to ascend the mountain without express permission of the King of Hyrule," He said firmly.

"But we need to get up there- it's Princess Zelda who sent us," Saria pleased, "Please, sir-"

"No means no. A volcano is no place for kids anyway- go and play somewhere else." This last comment was not appreciated by Link.

"We haven't come to play," He snapped at the guard, "We've come here to try and save Hyrule from-" But he was cut off by a strange choking sound. A second later, Saria realised that the sound was the guard, laughing at them from within his helmet.

"Hahaha!" He roared, "So you think you're on some mission? Hahaha, okay Mr Hero, that's quite enough joking around now. I have an important job to do, you know," The guard added, sobering after a good chuckle. Saria was flabbergasted.

"We already told you that it was Zelda who-" She stopped suddenly mid-sentence, as something occurred to her. The song Impa had taught them to prove their connection to Zelda… the Triforce on the ground in the graveyard… Smirking proudly at herself, Saria pulled out her ocarina. Link looked at her like she was crazy, but then she began playing Zelda's Lullaby. The guard stood stoically for a few minutes, but then something began to happen; he was leaning a little more heavily on the spear he carried, and his shoulders seemed to be slumping under the weight of his armour. Saria nudged Link and nodded at the guard, continuing to play, but the guard was shuffling his feet, trying to make himself alert again. Link hesitated for a minute, gave Saria a nervous look, but then reached into the small bag he carried on his shoulder, concealed beneath his shield, and pulled out an ocarina too. Saria's eyes opened wider. She had gifted Link with his own Fairy Ocarina a long time ago. She knew he played a little every now and then, but she had not expected him to bring it with him on this journey- she went nowhere without hers, of course, but to Link it'd just been a toy.

But Link was raising the instrument to his lips and, after fumbling a little, he managed to find the right note. Saria slowed down her playing, letting him see how she was positioning her fingers so that he could copy. But once he'd gotten it, and they were both playing it perfectly, Saria refocused her attention on the guard. He was slumping back against the wall, his legs like jelly. A few more bars of Zelda's Lullaby and it finally happened; he was fast asleep, sprawled on the ground. The final notes rang out for a second and then the two of them stopped playing.  
"Well done, Link- you played so well," Saria smiled proudly. Link grinned sheepishly.

"The key is on his belt," He pointed them out before going over to get it. They headed over to the gate and Link inserted the large silver key into the lock. It opened easily, being new, and the two of them pushed their weight against it to make the gate slide away, allowing them access. They both took a last look at the sleeping guard before setting off ahead onto the dark brown, dry earth of Death Mountain.

* * *

The beginning of the mountain was clearly well-travelled, thus easy to climb, but this didn't mean that they were going to have a particularly easy time of it. Almost as soon as they began the ascent, they were accosted by an angry red, giant insect with one eye that seemed to jump at them from out of nowhere. Link managed to swing his shield around to block it from biting them, and a couple of jabs of the Kokiri Sword soon finished it, but looking down at it's carcass just before it disintegrated into nothing, Saria shivered in disgust.  
"What was that thing?" She asked Link. He shrugged, but Navi, who was hovering at his shoulder, chirped an answer:

"It was a tektite!"

"Watch out for those!" Juno added. Link rolled his eyes.

"We will _now_ ," He grumbled. They dodged a few more tektites as they made their way steadily up the long path.

"Do you think Goron City is right at the top?" Saria asked doubtfully, after around an hour of uphill walking. They didn't seem to be getting much closer to the smoke ring above, after all. It'd probably take days to reach the summit if they were to try.

"I hope not," Link replied.

They were climbing well into the afternoon, wiping sweat off their foreheads from the blazing sun, still seeming to get no closer to the top, when they finally saw something a little different from the sheer faces of rock either side.  
They had reached a point in the mountain where the ground seemed to level out somewhat, and before them was a huge round stone, grey against the brown rock of Death Mountain, clearly blocking off a well-trodden path ahead.

"Wonder that that is," Saria said out loud, looking at it thoughtfully.

"I don't know. But I think we need to take a rest," Link replied, flopping down onto the ground. Barely a second later he had leapt back to his feet as, with a thump that made the earth tremble for a moment, what appeared to be a boulder landed between the two children. Link drew his sword and Saria took a step back, eyeing the boulder nervously. After a moment, it trembled and appeared to grow legs and arms as whatever it was got to it's feet with a groan. The creature was a light brown colour, round bellied and had an equally round, friendly looking face. It looked from Link to Saria with as much curiosity as they had before it greeted them.

"Hello there! I'm afraid if you were planning to visit Dodongo's Cavern it's been blocked off. See?" It pointed to the huge round stone blocking off the path behind them.

"Erm… No, sorry," Saria answered after a moment, "We were looking for Goron City."

"It's just over the next incline," The creature smiled, but then it's face fell, "I'm afraid that Big Brother might not see you, though. It's a very hard time for us Goron's right now." Link put away his sword as Saria took a step closer to the Goron again.

"Why? What's going on?"

"It's… it's this," He pointed again at the stone blocking off the cavern, "We Goron's feed on rocks, you see, and all the best ones came from inside the Dodongo's Cavern. But the man from the desert blocked it off and we're starving…"

"A man from the desert," Saria repeated the words quietly to herself before asking, "Why did he block it off?"

"I don't know," The Goron replied, "He came and met with Big Brother Darunia and then he came out angry, blocking off the Cavern. I don't know what they talked about." Saria glanced at Link, whose jaw was set in his young face. If they had been hoping to get hold of the Spiritual Stone of Fire before Ganondorf had tried to get hold of it they were obviously wrong.

"Well, we're sorry to hear about this," Saria told the Goron kindly, "Isn't there anything that you can do?"

"We can't get a bomb flower down this far to blow it up," The Goron replied miserably.

"Well… thanks for telling us. You said the City was over the next incline?" Saria double checked. The Goron nodded and the two Kokiri bade him goodbye before setting off again, forgetting all about their plans for a rest stop now that they realised how close they were. Saria had to admit she was relieved that Goron City wasn't right at the summit of the mountain after all.

"Ganondorf must have gone after the Stone and Darunia must've refused to give it to him," Link said as they began to climb again.

"But how could he starve the poor Goron's like that? It's so cruel," Saria sighed sadly.

"He didn't care that killing the Great Deku Tree would leave the Kokiri Forest without a guardian," Link reminded her, and Saria bit her lip, saying nothing. Link glanced at her face and saw her eyes swimming with tears that were threatening to spill over. "I'm sorry," He told her quietly after a moment, "I didn't mean to..."

"No, it's okay," Saria said bravely, swallowing the lump in her throat and forcing a smile, "You're right. We need to be prepared for the lengths that Ganondorf is going to go to- Zelda did warn us."

Their legs were aching by the time they reached the other side of the sharp incline they had climbed from Dodongo's Cavern. They were faced with the mouth of an enormous cave right ahead, apparently cut right into the mountain itself. A sign post nearby declared this to be the entrance to Goron City. Saria had heard of cities before, but she guessed this wasn't a city in the traditional sense as it was entirely indoors. Still, upon entry, she and Link found it to be very warm and quite welcoming inside. Torches lit the entire place brightly and she could see several brown boulders lying around, which she now recognised to be Goron's curled up into a ball.

Rings were cut into the mountain within, with stairs between each level leading down to the centre at the bottom, where a gigantic vase of some type stood. Bomb flowers grew here and there along the walls and floor. Saria had seen pictures of these before but they did not grow in the forest. Still, knowing their volatile nature, she and Link gave them as wide a berth as possible.

Gorons called out greetings to them, including one which was sat on a chunk of rock suspended from the top ring by strong, thick ropes.

"How did he get out there?" Saria asked Link, fascinated.

"He must've walked across," Link replied, looking.

"What's that he's standing beside?" The two children squinted, trying to make out what the small wooden structure was.

"That was the plinth for the Goron's Ruby," A voice said, making them both jump. Saria and Link turned to find themselves looking up at a tall, robust, but ostensibly female Goron. "Yes, the Spiritual Stone of Fire stood there… but my dear Darunia had to remove it after that dreadful man came from the desert. He didn't feel it was safe there."

"So Ganondorf did come for the Stone!" Link said, surprising Saria by actually speaking in front of a stranger willingly.

"What do you know about Ganondorf?" The female Goron peered down at them with interest. Saria noticed that she wore jewellery and had several markings painted on her skin, though they were not in Hylian or any other language Saria had ever seen.

"We come from the forest," Saria explained, "And he came for our Spiritual Stone too. Princess Zelda has sent us to get the other Spiritual Stones to protect them and help stop Ganondorf." The Goron examined their faces for a moment, apparently thinking.

"The forest? Well… my Darunia has been in a bad mood ever since that man came here. I can't promise anything, but his room is downstairs. He's locked himself away, but if you really were sent by Princess Zelda he might just speak to you."

"Thank you!" Link and Saria chorused before hurrying away towards one of the staircases leading down to the lower circles. It was hard not to get distracted on the way, as they looked around. Most of the walls were painted with pictures of Gorons dancing, and flames. Saria thought the paintings were quite beautiful in their own way, and they seemed to tell a story, but Link didn't give her much time to take it all in. About halfway down they took a wrong turning and found themselves in a strange room with a pit of lava in the middle of it. The heat from it was scorching even in passing, so they quickly ducked out of the room.

"I wonder how anyone can reach the other side," Saria pondered as they righted their path and continued down the stairs.

"I suppose Gorons are probably resistant to heat," Link pointed out. She nodded.

They finally reached the very bottom. Saria looked up from there, just beside the giant vase, and she could see the platform with the plinth suspended way above them. It was impossible to see anything like the ceiling of this place as it was too cavernous, but it wasn't nearly as big as Saria had imagined it to be. Still, they could see which room had to belong to Darunia- for one, shut and locked and for another, it had a sort of mat outside it, complete with Triforce motif. A Goron sat just off to the entrance of the room, curled up into a ball, so Saria and Link approached it.

"Um… Excuse me?" Saria asked a little nervously. Like the first Goron, it twitched and then uncurled itself and stood up.

"Hi, can I help you?"

"We need to see Darunia," Link informed the Goron, who looked quite surprised.

"Darunia has been refusing to see anybody for days, surely somebody told you?" The two children looked at each other, "He said he's closing his room off to anybody except for the Royal Family's messenger. He sent a message to the King after Ganondorf was here."

"Well, we're… sort of messengers of the Royal Family," Saria told him.

"You'll have to prove it." Link grabbed Saria's hand and dragged her a few steps away, to where they were out of earshot of the Goron.

"You can play Zelda's Lullaby- it's the only proof we have that we're connected to the Royal Family. Impa told us to remember the song, so I bet she knew that we'd need it for something like this," Link told Saria urgently. She nodded- it made sense, of course. Still, how was she supposed to prove anything to Darunia if he wouldn't come out in the first place?

"Do… do you think he can hear from outside the door?" She felt quite doubtful. Link looked around for a moment, thinking.

"Well- I mean, look at this place, I bet it echoes," He said, and her face broke out into a grin.

"You're right!" Saria approached the door, stood on the mat, and pulled out her ocarina. She concentrated for a second on remembering the song that Impa had taught her, letting the melody flow through her mind, into her lungs, and when she pressed her lips to the ocarina, into being again.

As predicted, the notes resonated around Goron City even as, with one last willowy note, Saria lowered the ocarina. Link had been stood watching her play with an uncharacteristic half-smile on his face. Saria looked back at the door hopefully. The final note was still bouncing off the cavernous walls but she still wasn't sure that Darunia could have heard. When the note faded and nothing happened, she felt her shoulders droop. Suddenly, Saria was exhausted.

"It didn't work," She said.

"What are we going to do now?" Link grumbled. But then, something happened. There was a slight trembling of the ground, and then a creaking noise. Saria and Link looked back around in time to see the door blocking their access to Darunia's room begin to slide upwards into the rock. He had heard their song after all and was permitting them entry. Feeling pleased, Saria tucked her ocarina away and looked at Link.

"After you," She told him, and stood back to allow him to take the first steps into the room where they would meet with the Goron Chief.

* * *

 **A/N: Hi everyone, I'm sorry it took such a long time for me to upload this chapter. I had so many distractions and stuff that I barely got time to finish writing this. I hope you guys liked it though and will forgive me for the lapse! Drop me a review letting me know.**


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